Fact or crap? No-additive (‘all-natural’) cigarettes are better for you than regular cigarettes
CRAP. Although natural cigarettes are made to look healthier, they’re just as bad for your health as regular cigarettes. The ads play up the ‘all-natural’ angle to appear hip.
Fact or crap? Chewing tobacco won’t give me lung cancer, so it’s healthier than smoking.
CRAP. Your chance of developing lung cancer from chewing tobacco isn’t as high, but you’re at a much higher risk for heart disease and up to 50% more likely to get cancers of the mouth and throat. Chewing tobacco also leads to early gum recession, which isn’t curable. Your teeth will stain brown and yellow, and you have a very high chance of developing lesions and other growths in your mouth.
Fact or crap? Smoking isn’t an issue that the LGBT community needs to worry about.
CRAP. The fact is that the LGBTI community smokes much more than the rest of the population. And LGBTI youth are even more likely to be smokers. That means we are at a greater risk for tobacco related illness as well.
Fact or crap? It’s my body and I can do what I want ... it’s not like I’m hurting someone else.
CRAP. The truth is that secondhand smoke kills 49,000 people a year in the U.S. It’s especially harmful to babies and children, whose lungs are too small to handle the carbon monoxide generated by smoke. About 300,000 cases of bronchitis and pneumonia in young children are attributable to secondhand smoke each year. So when you smoke around other people, they inhale smoke too – only without a filter.
Fact or crap: Nicotine is more addictive than cocaine or heroin.
FACT. It may be hard to believe, but nicotine works in similar ways to cocaine and heroin. It affects your moods and your brain chemistry and causes addiction that is nearly as strong.
*Adapted from “Ten Myths About Smoking” –California Department of Health Services, Tobacco Control Section